


Daisies and the One I Love

by Beat_ThePeaches



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Marco Bott, Angst, Badass Marco Bott, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, But I'm into it, Eldian empire, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gender-Neutral Hange Zoë, Heavy Angst, I don't hate any of the characters, I know shipping Eren and Historia is weird, I'll add more tags later, I'm making this up as I go, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Manga & Anime, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein-centric, Marco appreciation, Past Rape/Non-con, Porn, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Rape/Non-con Elements, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Manga Spoilers, Smut, So much angst, Titan Marco Bott, Titan Shifters, Top Marco Bott, female titan - Freeform, i will die with this ship, so don't hold it against me, there are spoilers, there's hetero love too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29870601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beat_ThePeaches/pseuds/Beat_ThePeaches
Summary: “He’s given you information and you’ve kept it from your fellow soldiers?” Hange angrily addresses Floch before he tries to placate the commander.“He was only willing to give us his name. The information seemed irrelevant, but maybe any sort of intel will be helpful at this point when we have nothing.”“Very well. What is the man’s name, Floch?”“This man,” Floch pauses and scans the room, making eye contact with nearly all the attendees. “this man, suspected of being the War Hammer, has revealed his name to be Marco Bodt.”ORAfter the battle at Marley, the Eldians take a prisoner aboard their ship. What happens when they discover a familiar face may just be another traitor like the others?
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Connie Springer/Nicolo, Floch Forster/Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein & Connie Springer, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Eren Yeager, Marco Bott & Jean Kirstein, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Pieck Finger/Porco Galliard, Sasha Blouse/Niccolo, one sided Sasha Blouse/Connie Spinger
Comments: 48
Kudos: 134





	1. After the Battle

Jean continued staring out the window of the airship as they all made their way back to Paradis Island. He hadn’t been able to move from his place since Connie had come in to tell them about Sasha’s death. He felt sick knowing his friend’s body was lying in the next room, waiting to be carried off of the aircraft and eventually buried six feet underground in the Scout’s field. It was happening again. He’d lost yet another person that was close to him. Someone he’d shared so many memories with; good and bad. Someone he considered a close friend. He’s exhausted, but if he closes his eyes then he’ll see Sasha’s emotionless face, or worse, he’ll be treated to the image of Marco’s lifeless face.

It wasn’t fair. He lost the boy he loved back when he was fifteen, and here he was again, losing a friend at nineteen. He knew compared to others, he was fortunate that he’d only lost two people that had been near and dear to him. But that didn’t ease the pain he felt. It didn’t stop the anger and heartbreak from seizing him. He makes sure to stay back on the airship until Connie comes to get him; letting him know that Sasha’s body has been removed and it is safe to come out. The two walk in silence back to their living quarters until Connie eventually breaks their stalemate.

“How do you survive it?” he asks without turning to look at his friend. When he doesn’t receive an answer, he continues on. “How do you survive losing the person you love most? How did you do it back when we were just trainees?”

“Don’t ever ask me about Marco, Connie.” Jean replies in a monotone voice. Back when he’d lost Marco, he’d made it a point to hide the extent of his heartbreak from his comrades. He fell apart that first day he learned about Marco’s fate, and he made a promise not to do so in front of anyone ever again. It didn’t take a genius to see that Marco and Jean were close and that they cared for each other all those years ago, but like hell if Jean would ever let their relationship be scrutinized or questioned. He didn’t owe anyone any information about his relationship with the freckled boy. So he never let his friends see how broken he was after Marco was gone. After the boy he loved so much disappeared from his life.

“Do you think he’s up there taking care of Sasha?” Connie goes on. Seemingly ignoring Jean’s warning about bringing up the freckled boy. “Maybe it seems messed up to you, but I feel the tiniest bit better believing that they’re together now, watching over us.” He was right. It was messed up. There wasn’t a day that had passed in Jean’s life that he’d ever thought Marco was at peace or Marco was happily watching over Jean and their friends. No, Jean constantly thought about how Marco would be a commanding officer instead of himself. How the freckled boy would sprint towards the sea and splash around happily. How he would’ve been the headstrong voice of reason of the group had he made it out of Trost. But Jean knew Connie didn’t need to hear this. So he stayed silent and continued the journey back home. They both glance back a few times, catching the glances of their fellow comrades. Captain Levi is dragging Zeke along while Armin and Mikasa walk alongside Eren. Behind all of them, Jean can see Commander Hange carrying the Marleyan prisoner they had managed to capture during their siege. Jean was too out of it to remember the details of how they’d managed to capture this prisoner. Apparently Floch and some of his squad members were able to apprehend him and bring him aboard the airship. Now hopefully they’d be able to gather some intel from him since he was officially a prisoner of war. At some point he knew he’d get to meet this prisoner, most likely via questioning and/or torturing, but for now, he continued his trek back home. 

***

The following month was absolute hell. Eren and the Marleyan volunteers were being detained for their crimes at the attack on Marley, but without releasing enough information to the public, angry crowds swarmed outside of HQ, demanding answers about “the saviors of Paradis”. Everything was a mess in Paradis. Jean walked like a zombie throughout his days back home. He’d managed to stay on the down low during his time after he returned from Marley, but eventually Hange called on him and the other scouts to meet and discuss the status of the prisoners. He and Connie walked into the conference room together to meet with the rest of the scouts, military police, and the garrison. In the center of them all stood Yelena and Commander Hange, facing each other with calm expressions on both their faces.

“Thank you all for joining,” Hange started, not taking her eyes off Yelena, “as you all know, I’ve called us all here today to discuss the imprisonment of Eren Yeager and the Marleyans. Eren and the volunteers have been imprisoned for their crimes at the attack on Marley. Eren Yeager has remained hostile to myself and refuses to speak to anyone else in his presence. We’ve been unsuccessful in uncovering the details of his undercover operations in Marley.” The commander turns and faces the crowd gathered before them. “However, there is reason to believe that the volunteers have been involved with Eren’s decision to attack Marley so viciously, which is why they’ve been imprisoned as well. It should be noted that the public should never have been made aware of these facts, which is why we are investigating our colleagues to see where the leak came from. Are there any questions so far?”

“Who are you suspecting is at fault for leaking the information to the public?” Commander Nile Dok steps forward and addresses Commander Hange.

“For the sake of the investigation, I won’t be giving any names, but I believe it is clear it is someone who is loyal to Eren and has been in close contact with him.”

“So it’s a member of the Scouts or the Military police.” Nile states, face scrunched unhappily at Hange.

“It is an ongoing investigation,” Hange answers back cooly, “as new details come to light, I will be filling in the necessary contacts.” Nile seems to accept the answer well enough and steps back with the rest of his officers. Commander Pixis takes this as his cue to step forward.

“We would like to know why Yelena has been brought forth to us today.”

“Of course,” Hanji turns back to Yelena, but addresses the whole room, “Yelena may be the leader of the Marleyan volunteers, but she is basically a pet to Zeke Yeager.” It isn’t clear whether Hange is trying to draw a reaction out of the blonde woman, but she doesn’t give one anyways as the Commander continues, “She most likely has information on the plans of the Yeager brothers, so I have brought her here today to give her the chance to give any information she possibly can. If she really is loyal to the Eldians like she says she is.” with that, the whole room focuses their attention on Yelena. She remains silent for a moment before raising her head and speaking to the room of soldiers. 

“The Yeager brothers are bringing forth an amazing change that will save the world. The two should not be imprisoned, for they are the saviors of the Eldian Empire. However, I understand that you cannot comprehend the astounding events that have taken place and will continue to occur.” Yelena breathes out confidently with a small smile.

“Is that all you have to say?” Commander Hange addresses the woman sitting before her.

“That is all, Commander.” Yelena answers as she stands, ready to return to her imprisonment. As she and two escorting officers leave the room, Commander Nile turns angrily to Hange.

“What was the purpose of that? You cannot have possibly thought she’d have anything helpful to supply!” He seethes.

“On the contrary,” Hange steps to the front of the room, “she’s just revealed a very crucial detail. The Yeager brothers have more planned for us.” The room goes silent at their statement. The idea that things aren’t over with those damn brothers has Jean and many others seething with rage. “This brings us into the next issue at hand. The prisoner that was captured at Marley by some of my Scouts. Floch, since his capture, has the prisoner had any contact with anyone besides myself, your squad, Commander Pixis, and Commander Nile?” they address the red headed soldier who stands at attention.

“Commander,” Floch steps forward and directs himself towards Hange, “the prisoner has only had contact with the parties you have mentioned, and our efforts have not been successful in getting any information out of him.”

“Thank you, Floch. Though this prisoner has not given any information, cadet Floch has informed myself and my fellow commanders that he and his squad believe this man is a titan shifter.” The room erupts in gasps and whispers. Jean and his friends go rigid at the thought of having another enemy titan shifter so close to home. “If this is true,” the commander continues louder so as to garner the attention of everyone in the room, “then this man most likely had close contact with Zeke Yeager and the other warriors before his tedious alliance with us. In that case, he’ll be extremely valuable and it is even more imperative that we get information out of him that we can’t get out of Eren or the Marleyan volunteers. Floch will now explain to us his theory that the prisoner is a shifter.” Hange motions for Floch to come further into the circle.

“As the Commander stated earlier, my squad and I believe that the prisoner that we captured is a shifter. It is for that reason we’ve taken extra precautions in restraining him. During the battle at Marley, the soldiers present encountered a titan which Zeke Yeager and the Marleyan volunteers have informed us is named the War Hammer Titan. The titan appeared when it saw that Eren was fighting, and defeating the other titans, the Cart and the Jaw. When the War Hammer gained the upper hand, my squad and I intervened and before we could blow it’s nape away, the titan started disintegrating, indicating that the shifter had disabled it’s titan form and was back in human form. A few moments later we spotted a figure fleeing the scene that we believed to be the inhabitant of the titan. My squad and I made the shocking discovery that he showed proficiency using ODM gear and sword fighting. He managed to take out three of my squad members before he was knocked out when a thunder spear hit a building behind him and the shrapnel hit him in the head. Upon his awakening in his cell, he showed no resistance and hasn’t communicated with us at all.” Floch pauses for a moment, seeming like he’s finished, until he stands rigid again, “There’s actually one piece of information he was willing to give us.”

“He’s given you information and you’ve kept it from your fellow soldiers?” Hange angrily addresses Floch before he tries to placate the commander.

“He was only willing to give us his name. The information seemed irrelevant, but maybe any sort of intel will be helpful at this point when we have nothing.”

“Very well. What is the man’s name, Floch?”

“This man,” Floch pauses and scans the room, making eye contact with nearly all the attendees. “this man, suspected of being the War Hammer, has revealed his name to be Marco Bodt.”


	2. A Familiar Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As I'm writing this, I'm realizing how huge Marco's part is in the story, but how few scenes I'm giving him (until later). Slight violence in this chapter. Jean is real angsty. How does Connie put up with his shit?

Everyone in the room seems to notice the senior Scouts’ reaction to the name Floch has just given. Armin, Mikasa, and Connie all looked shocked at the mention of their supposedly dead friend’s name, but Jean looked as though his soul had left his body. And in his own opinion, it has. Jean can’t see, he can’t think, he can’t breathe after hearing the information from his fellow soldier. All he can think about is the beautiful, freckled boy named Marco Bodt. His round face, his soft skin, his gorgeous smile, then Jean’s thoughts wander to the smell of burning bodies, the look of Marco’s half eaten corpse, the sound of what Jean always imagined the boy he loved sounded like as he screamed for help before taking his final breath. And suddenly everything is too much. He needed to leave. He needed to get as far away from here as he possibly can. He would’ve had the hand grabbing his elbow not stopped him. When he looks down, he can see the arm connected to Connie, who is giving him a look that conveys extreme concern. He shakes off Connie’s hand and tries to get a grip of himself. He can run later, but for now, he needs to focus. 

“Maybe it’s a dumb question, but does this name mean something to you all?” Hange addresses Jean’s squad. Everyone looks to Jean, but he can’t get any words out. He can barely get a breath out, so he’s not willing to try to answer his Commander’s question.

“It’s the name of a fallen comrade we once knew. From our days back at boot camp.” Armin answers when he and the others see that Jean won’t be speaking. “A fallen comrade” Jean bitterly repeats to himself in his head. Maybe the others didn’t share the relationship with Marco that Jean did, but Armin was making it sound like Marco was just another name, and Jean despised him for it. Armin and Marco spent almost as much time together as Jean and Marco did, and he had the nerve to describe his freckled angel so coldly. Marco was Connie’s squad leader and friend, and yet the silver haired man didn’t say anything about him. Mikasa and Marco bonded whenever they had to pull Jean and Eren apart. The raven haired woman seemed to have grown fond of him during their training days, but now, she stood there like the name meant nothing meaningful to her. Jean was still in a state of shock, but now disgust and anger were rising within him at the silence permeating from his friends. From the people he thought had at least considered Marco a friend during their days back as trainees.

“I see, well it is possible that this man only shares a name with your comrade. Considering he’s dead.” Hange states bluntly and that’s all Jean can take before a pained cry rips it’s way out of his throat. Everyone turns toward him at the sound. It’s all he can do not to let out more wails now that the love of his life is being brought up and spoken about as if he was nothing. Just another name. Like he didn't die for humanity and hadn’t had any impact on the world. As he feels the anger boiling inside him again, he directs himself towards Floch.

“Floch,” he starts, a little breathless, “what does he look like?”

“Jean...” Connie puts a hand on his shoulder, but Jean shakes him off violently and starts towards Floch.

“What does he look like, Floch?” he asks again. More assertive.

“Um, the prisoner has black hair...he’s on the paler side, but not as pale as you or me. He has brown or hazel eyes I think…,” Jean listens as Floch starts listing off the man’s physical attributes. He’s waiting. He knows his friends are waiting too. For that one distinguishing feature that would give away who this man really was. He waited. Ignoring the suspicious looks he was receiving from everyone else in the room. “Oh yeah! He has some freckles. We didn’t see them at first because he wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face when we captured him.” 

Jean walks out. He’s briskly walking down the hall; completely ignoring Connie and Armin as they call after him. He doesn’t give shit. He doesn’t care about anything except escaping right now. So he starts running. He sprints out of the building, through the streets. He doesn’t know where he's going, but he isn’t stopping until his legs give out and he collapses from exhaustion. He stumbles a few times and knocks some people over, but in his daze he can’t seem to give a damn about any of that. Eventually he comes to a stop in an open field. Looking at his surroundings, he recognizes the field from his days back at bootcamp. 

_He recalls the memory fondly. It was about five years ago, they’d just come back from a particularly grueling day of training and Jean had skipped dinner in order to come out to the field and sit alone in his misery. Of course, his wallowing was interrupted when a figure came out and sat beside him. When he looked over, he was greeted by Marco, smiling softly and offering him some bread rolls._

_“It’s all I was able to sneak out.” The boy spoke sheepishly. As though his offering wasn’t good enough for the sandy blonde he’d come out to see._

_“Thanks.” Jean smiled back and took the bread from Marco’s hand. “You didn’t have to come out here, you know.”_

_“I know, but I wanted to check on you. Keep you company.” Marco answered and looked up at the darkening sky. The boys sat together in silence; eating, staring up at the sky, and enjoying the nature around them. Eventually, Marco spoke again while running his fingers through the flowers around him. “Daisies are my favorite flower, you know?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Yeah.” the freckled boy smiled and turned to Jean. “They grew all around my home back in Jinae.”_

_“I grew up over here in Trost. I never ventured out far enough to see too many flowers beyond the city streets.”_

_“What do you think of them now?” Marco asks as he tentatively scoots closer to the other teen. A light blush dusting his beautiful face. Jean smiles and plucks a daisy from next to him, tucking it behind Marco’s ear._

_“I think daisies are my new favorite.”_

Five years. It had been five years since that moment with his lovely sweetheart. He looked down at the daisies all around him. He couldn’t tell whether they were mocking him or gently reminding him. Either way, he sat in that field and continued thinking about Marco. He touched the locket that rested between his collarbones, the locket that held Marco’s ashes.

“You can’t really be alive, baby.” Jean whispers to his locket, feelings tears burning behind his tawny eyes. “I saw your body. I held your ashes. You’re gone, Marco.” he continued on and clenched his locket and let his tears stream down his face, dripping onto the daisies surrounding him. “You’re gone, baby.” Jean whispers before doubling over and sobbing into the flower bed he was in. He sobbed for what felt like hours. Until his throat was raw and the tears wouldn’t come anymore. He laid amongst the daisies, exhausted physically and mentally from the day he’s had. He let the fatigue consume him, and he fell asleep in the field of daisies.

***

When Jean woke again, it was light out. He must have slept here through the night. Connie was standing over him, shaking him gently to coax him out of sleep.

“You had us freaked out.” Connie utters as he sits beside his friend. “We scoured all over HQ looking for you. I started getting more worried when I didn’t hear you go into your room.” Jean doesn’t answer him. He only rubs the sleep from his eyes and sits up so he’s at the same level as Connie. “Turns out you were sleeping in the weeds.” Connie teases gently.

“I was exhausted and fell asleep out here.” Jean states back with little emotion in his voice. He still hasn’t extinguished the anger he felt towards his friends during the meeting yesterday afternoon. Connie seems to notice as he looks at Jean warily.

“About yesterday, Jean, I think you need to go see him.” 

“See him?” Jean repeats out more for himself than Connie, but the silver haired boy takes that as his cue to go on.

“I think you need to go see the prisoner. You need to know if this guy is really Marco.”

“First of all,” Jean turns and leans in close to Connie, “don’t you dare tell me what I need when it comes to Marco. You and the others made it clear yesterday that I’m the only one who still gives a damn about him. You are in no position to dictate how I handle this situation.” Jean teems.

“What do you mean you’re the only one who cares about Marco?” Connie throws back angrily. “He wasn’t just your friend. We all cared about him. He was our friend too.”

“Really? Because yesterday he was just “a fallen comrade”.” Jean scoffs bitterly.

“That’s what you’re upset about? That we didn’t give the room a full biography on Marco?”

“Would you have described Sasha the same way?” That seems to make Connie stop and think. Because no. Connie wouldn’t have described Sasha as just a fallen comrade. Suddenly he understands Jean’s burst of anger.

“It’s not like it matters. I’ve known for a while that you guys forgot about him,” Jean clutches the locket around his neck once more, “but that doesn’t mean that I did.” They both sit in tense silence. Jean twiddles with his locket and gently brushes over the flowers next to him. A few moments pass before he hears Connie sigh and speak again.

“I know you said never to ask you about him, but…” Connie takes another breath and continues, “You and Marco...you guys were a little gay for each other weren’t you?” he asks tentatively.

“So what if we were?!” Jean growls and clutches tighter at his locket. “You gonna look down at me now because I was in love with a boy?! At least I had someone who loved me back!” Jean yells as his anger boils over. His glare burning into Connie’s very soul. The shorter man looks taken aback before turning away and staring into the distance.

“There were twelve of us, Jean.” Connie breathes out. “We started out with twelve. Then Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt betrayed us. Ymir, Sasha, and Marco died. Historia became queen. And Eren went berserk. You’re one of the only people I have left, so no Jean. I don’t give a crap whether you like chicks or dicks.” he finishes and turns to Jean. “I’m sorry you two didn’t feel comfortable sharing your relationship with us, but I want you to know that I’ve got your back whether you’re a little fruity or not.” Connie says it so seriously, but Jean can’t help but snort at his words.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier, Con.” Jean throws his arm around his friend and pulls him in for a hug.

“I’d give anything to have the hope that you’ve got, Jean,” Connie hugs back, “Maybe you don’t wanna accept it, but there’s a chance that Marco’s alive. There’s a chance he’s only a short ride to HQ on horseback.” Jean pulls back and stares at his friend.

“I have to believe he’s dead, Connie.” Jean almost whimpers. “I have to believe he’s dead because if he’s been alive all these years and he’s really just an Eldian Warrior or he’s a prisoner that they took or he’s something else, those are all harder to swallow than just saying he died back when we were kids all those years ago.”

“So many people would give anything to have the chance to get someone back that they loved. Please don’t waste this, Jean.” Jean stands up and heads towards the horse tied to the tree a few feet away from them.

“Let’s start heading back.” 

***

“Jean!” Armin shrieks as he and Mikasa bound towards Jean and Connie once they arrive back at HQ.

“Where’d you find him?” Mikasa asks as she catches up to where they all are.

“He was wandering around the streets begging for spare change.” Connie answers sarcastically, earning himself unimpressed looks all around. The four of them continue chatting before Connie slings an arm around Jean and starts dragging him towards the dining hall. Stating that he has to make sure Jean doesn’t starve himself to death again. As the men make it to the hall, Connie grabs them food as Jean finds them a table.

“So,” Connie drops the trays on their table, “the plan is: eat, get your strength up, then we let your food settle, and then we head down to the basement to see you know who.” Connie lists out as he scoops some stew into his mouth. Jean looks down at his friend with an annoyed expression, but doesn’t say anything as he tears apart his bread. “I will take your silence as an affirmation.” Connie states happily as he continues eating.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, man, but I think I need to do this alone.” Jean declares as he continues to pick at his food.

“I can always turn around if you guys wanna make out.” Connie tells his friend, causing the other man to splutter and blush.

“That’s not the first thing I’m gonna do if I see him, idiot!” Connie laughs at his friends outburst and steals some bread off his plate as Jean continues, “I don’t even know if it’s him, Connie.”

“I think in your gut you do know.” Connie gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“Yeah, maybe.” The two continue eating and talking. A few hours pass before Connie reminds Jean of the task at hand. Reluctantly Jean parts with his friend and makes his way towards the basement where their POW is being held. His thoughts are running at a hundred miles an hour, and he barely notices when he makes it to the level where the POW is being held. He’s greeted by two recruits that he recognizes from Floch’s squad. They salute him and let him through where he hears pained grunting and the sound of what Jean suspects is skin meeting skin violently. His suspicions are confirmed as he rounds the corner and steps in front of the cell where he sees Floch kicking and punching the prisoner. Floch has a satisfied smirk on his face as the prisoner groans around the metal bar gagging him and seems to struggle against the restraints he’s in. Jean thankfully can’t see his face where he’s hunched over as Floch kicks him in the stomach.  
  


“Floch!” Jean shouts as he lunges for the soldier and drags him out of the cell. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What do you mean what’s wrong with me?” Floch shouts back and shoves Jean off of him.

“You get a thrill out of attacking defenseless prisoners like some pansy?” Jean seethes, still refusing to look towards the cell holding the prisoner. Fearful that he’ll catch a glimpse of his face.

“Defenseless?! He’s a fucking titan, Jean! He killed three of my guys back in Marley!”

“As hard as it is for you to believe, you can’t just beat up prisoners because they wronged you!” Jean steps between Floch and the cell, “Now get the hell out. Send Commander Hange. You’re staying away from him until further notice. Is that understood?” Jean glares down at the red headed soldier. Floch seethes for a moment before saluting and heading towards the exit. With that, Jean’s left alone. Only hearing the labored breathing of the man behind him. In all honesty, he wanted to leave as well. He didn’t know if he was ready to face the man they had taken prisoner yet. But he couldn't leave, at least not until the Commander got here. He may as well do it, but he didn’t want to give up on the hope that his love was alive. But he had to do it. Connie was right. He had a chance to see Marco again, and he wasn’t gonna waste it. So he took a deep breath and turned around to face the man behind the bars. The man was still hunched over. Upon his inspection, Jean saw that he was restrained the same Eren was when Rod Reiss had taken him. His arms were strung up and he saw the glint of silver around his head, indicating that he was gagged. He stepped closer so he was right up against the bars. The man still didn’t raise his head. Besides his body moving as he breathed, he wasn’t moving at all. It was frustrating, like the man didn’t even notice Jean’s presence.

“Hey,” Jean called out and knocked against the bars, hoping to get the prisoner’s attention. When he didn’t respond, Jean called out a little louder. After a few more tries and he still wasn’t getting anything out of the man, Jean growled and kicked the bars. “Look at me, Marco!” Jean hears his screams echo throughout the room as he glares down angrily at the man. He’s about to yell again before the man shifts and glances up to meet Jean’s gaze. Jean’s body goes rigid and his blood runs cold as he stares into the hazel eyes of the boy he loved back in boot camp.

“Baby?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've literally been avoiding my school work and writing this story lol. This story has become my baby and I'm doing my best to write it as well as possible. Leave comments and kudos please! Let me know how I'm doing. I won't be changing my story, but if someone makes a suggestion I like then maybe I'll incorporate it into a future chapter


	3. Where Are You Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy Gabi and Falco make an appearance

“Baby?” Jean whispers as he stares down at the man, at Marco, through the bars separating them. Marco doesn’t answer. He just holds Jean’s gaze. As they stare at each other, Jean can make out the minor injuries on his body, no doubt inflicted by Floch. There’s a gash in his eyebrow and bruising around his neck and jaw. There’s a shirt covering Marco’s torso, but there are some noticeable blood states around his chest. It takes everything in Jean not to chase after Floch and kill him for hurting Marco. That’s right. Marco’s here in front of him. He clears his throat and starts speaking again.

“Are you ok?” he asks tentatively. He doesn’t get an answer. Marco just stares back at him. His breath more even now that he's gotten a break from the beatings. “That’s right. You can’t answer with the gag, so just blink once for yes and twice for no.” Marco shifts his shoulders in a way that indicates he’s probably stiff and sore. “Are you a titan?” Jean doesn’t receive anymore of a response than Marco staring back at him. Has he even blinked?

“So you’re not speaking to me now?” Jean asks angrily, but really he’s more hurt at the prospect of Marco being so cold to him. “It’s been four years and you have nothing to say to me?”

“You must’ve been close to him.” Jean whips his head around as he hears Commander Hange’s voice. He salutes them as a greeting and moves out of the way as they come closer to Marco. Jean can’t help the wave of protectiveness that comes over him as the Commander draws closer. He has to suppress the part of him that wants to step between the two in case the Commander plans on hurting Marco, but they only look down at the freckled man. “Has Jean been keeping you company?” Hange addresses Marco. He doesn’t give a response other than hunching over again so that his face is hidden from view.

“Marco,” Jean steps forward and pleads with the prisoner, “please, You gotta give us something. Are you a warrior? Were you a pure titan that got turned? Were you imprisoned? Give us something to go on.” 

“It doesn’t seem like he wants to cooperate.” Hange assesses as they glance between Jean and Marco. “Perhaps we need to employ more persuasive techniques.” Jean feels sick to his stomach at the prospect of torturing Marco. “I won’t make you do it, Kirstein, since you seem to have history with this man. In which case, you’ll need to provide as much information as possible. If he too was a shifter that infiltrated the walls, then we’ll need intel on him.”

“Understood, Commander.” Hange seems like they want to say more, but the resounding BOOM that’s heard above them commands their attention. Jean and the Commander rush out of the room and see the two soldiers guarding the door have abandoned their post. Hange tells Jean to go see what was happening while they guarded Marco. Jean rushes up the stairs and runs into Mikasa and Armin.

“What’s happening?!” Jean shouts at the two over the sound of the crowd yelling and soldiers panicking behind them. 

“There’s been an attack at HQ and Commander Zackly has been killed!” Mikasa answers as she pushes her two friends away from the scene where Zackly’s body is lying.

“Squad leader Kirstein!” Jean hears as he turns around and sees Commander Nile rushing towards them. The three Scouts salute as he approaches. “See that Commander Hange meets with myself and the others in the conference room. Eren Yeager has escaped!” He rushes away, leaving the three soldiers stunned in place. Jean turns to his friends.

“Grab Connie and send two soldiers down to the basement where Marco is being held. They’ll relieve Hange and they’ll meet up with the rest of us.” Mikasa and Armin nod in affirmation before turning away. Jean starts in the other direction before he hears Armin.

“Jean!” He calls out, “does this mean it was really Marco back there in Marley?” All Jean can muster is a nod before he runs off. He gathers some soldiers and alerts them of Nile’s orders. Eventually, Jean meets up with the other members of the military, including Commander Hange to assess the series of events that have just occurred. Once it seems like everyone important is present, Nile begins his address. 

“Over a hundred soldiers, including Floch Forester, have disappeared. We have reason to believe that these soldiers freed Eren and deserted the area in the process.Yelena and some of her Marleyan volunteers have also gone missing.” The murmurs grow as the Commander continues, “The Yeagerists, as we’ve dubbed them, are surely responsible for Zackly’s assassination. And I would venture a guess that now their next mission is to bring the Yeager brothers together...” Nile turns and glares at Hange, “Commander, most of these Yeagerists are from the survey corps. How do you plan on taking responsibility?”

“Now isn’t the time for bickering and assigning blame!” Commander Pixis steps between the two. “We need to focus on more important matters. Dok, is the queen’s residence secure?”

“Only a select few know of her whereabouts, but I’ll send a team to make sure she’s safe.” 

“See to it. Commander Hange, stop supply to Captain Levi and his soldiers. For now we cannot allow too many people traveling to such a secure location.”

“Understood sir.”

“Now all of you,” Pixis addresses the whole room, “Get to work!” The soldiers all salute before exiting to complete their own various tasks. Hange and their team meet outside and start preparing their horses for travel. 

“Hange,” Jean starts, “do you have any leads in finding out Zeke’s intentions?”

“Yelena oversaw the POWs and their work,” Hange hops up on their horse “like at restaurants.”

***

When they arrived at Nicolo’s restaurant, the Marleyan escorted them to a back dining and instructed them to wait until he was done serving dinner to some guests. Jean and Connie were poking around the shelves until Jean picked up a bottle of wine that had caught his eye.

“Oh hey, this is the wine only the officers get to drink.” Jean examines the bottle as Connie saddles up next to him.

“What’s that? Aren’t we survey corps officers too?” Connie asks once he too examines the bottle.

“Yeah we deserve a treat every now and then. Just a sip.” Jean replies and begins opening the wine. That is, until Nicolo spots them and swipes the bottle out of Jean’s hands.

“Get your hands off of that!” Nicolo yells and clutches the bottle to his chest.

“Wha-It was just a joke,” Jean chuckles a little tensely, “There’s no need to overact.”

“This,” Nicolo swallows as he looks between Jean and Connie, “it would be wasted on Eldians.” Now that gets Jean and Connie’s attention.

“Are you still on about that stuff, Nicolo?!” Jean grabs the front of the Marleyan’s shirt, “Who do you think you are? You know you’re just-”

“Nothing but a POW. Yeah. I know where I stand, Jean.” They stare at each other for a moment longer before Jean releases Nicolo and they part ways. The six of them remain in the dining room, waiting for Nicolo to be done. Armin and Mikasa decide he’s going to go check to see how much longer he’ll be. Next thing they know, Mikasa is rushing in frantically yelling that Nicolo has gone crazy and is holding two kids at knife point. When they all arrive, Nicolo is there, standing before the Blouse familing, holding a knife to the throat of a young boy. They all see that the girl and boy near Nicolo are the Eldian warriors that stowed away on their airship and killed Sasha.

“Nicolo,” Connie greets gently and steps forward.

“Stay away!” the young chef yells and presses the knife closer to the boy’s throat, “I’m just going to avenge Sasha! That’s all!”

“No!” shrieks the young Eldian girl in front of them, “Please! Don’t hurt Falco!”

“Falco,” Nicolo repeats slowly, “Is he important to you? I had someone important to me too! She was an Eldian and she saved me! She saved me from the damn war that was raging between our races and she showed me what real love was! And you took her away!” he screams at the girl.

“Nicolo!” Connie tries again, voice strained as he looks between the children and Nicolo, “I know you loved Sasha, and she loved you too, but this isn’t the way to do things. This isn’t gonna bring her back.” Nicolo seems to mull over Connie’s words for a moment before he continues, “Sasha saved a little girl back when we were recruits. She saved this little kid. Do you think she’d want you to kill these two when she was willing to sacrifice herself?” Nicolo allows Connie to get closer and the soldier reaches out to him. “Give me the knife.”

“It’s not fair.” Nicolo cries as he grips the knife tighter.

“I know,” Connie tentatively puts his hand over Nicolo’s, “but if you kill this kid, you’ll regret it. And you’ll realize too late that Sasha never would’ve condoned this.” Connie gently pries the knife from his hand and pulls the other man in for a hug. Nicolo drops Falco and clutches at Connie as he continues sobbing. He pulls Nicolo away from the two kids as the girl rushes towards Falco. The rest of the squad gathers around Falco and starts bandaging his wounds. Mikasa and Armin take the young girl, Gabi as she had introduced herself, into the next room. Nicolo looks on from where he is, clutched in Connie’s arms.

“Hange,” he waits for the Commander to look his way, “you should rinse out his mouth. Some of the wine might’ve gotten in his mouth.”

“What do you mean?” The Commander addresses him, “What’s wrong with the wine?” Nicolo clutches Connie tighter before answering.

“I think it’s been tainted with Zeke’s spinal fluid…” Suddenly, Nicolo isn’t safe in Connie’s arms anymore. He’s being slammed against the wall by a furious and rabid Jean.

“What do you mean Zeke’s spinal fluid is in the wine?!” He growls in the Marleyan’s face as Connie tries to pry them apart.

“I don’t have any proof, but Yelena ordered me to serve the wine to all the officers.”

“You’ve been poisoning our soldiers?! You bastard!” Jean screams and throws Nicolo on the ground before kicking him.

“Jean stop!” Connie yells as he pulls Jean back and kneels in front of Nicolo “if he was acting on Yelena’s orders, then she’s responsible. Not him!” Connie and Jean stare at each other for a couple more moments before Jean backs off and Connie helps Nicolo to stand back up.

“I think she was working alone.” Nicolo grounds out as he holds his side, “Marleyans have used titans for years to take over other countries. All they had to do was sneak some Eldians in that had been administered titan serum or the Beast Titan’s blood or spinal fluid, and then a single scream from the Beast would turn them all into pure titans. That’s what I imagine Zeke and Yelena’s plan was here.”

“You can’t be serious.” Jean gasps out and punches the wall. “Too many of our officers drank that wine! Now you’re telling us Zeke is just gonna turn them all into titans?!”

“Yelena never shared her plans with me, but that’s all I can imagine they’re doing.”

“Back in the dining room,” Jean locks eyes with Nicolo, “when you took the wine from me. That was you trying to save us.” Nicolo looks away, but Connie brings his attention back to them.

“Thank you.” Connie shares a smile with Nicolo.

“If what Nicolo said is true, then we need to be cautious.” The Commander breathes out, “Everyone washes their hands and does not touch their eyes or mouth. Connie, go and pass my message on to Mikasa and Armin.”

“Yes Commander.” Connie gives one last hug to Nicolo before saluting and opening the doors with the intention of exiting. Having their backs turned, no one is able to see that Connie is stuck in place. “Um, Commander.” Everyone looks up to see Floch and several other soldiers pointing rifles at all of them.

“Floch?!” Jean yells angrily as he locks eyes with the traitor.

“Good. You’re all here.” Floch scans the room to ensure nobody is missing. Eren had already alerted them that he would take care of Mikasa and Armin.

“What is it you want, Floch?” The commander addresses Floch and his team.

“You guys must know where Zeke is.” Floch states as he steps forward and points his rifle at Hange. “And you know where the War Hammer is.”

“You know where the prisoner is, idiot.” Jean feels himself tense as Floch brings up Marco. “You and your team were the ones who were in charge of him for the past month.”

“Yes and when we went back to go get him, he was gone.” Floch speaks without taking his eyes off Hange. “Eren needs him, so where did you guys move him?”

“What do you mean Eren needs him?” Jean grits out and clenches his fists. Floch only chuckles and walks towards Jean.

“I think you know why Eren needs him, Jean. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.” Jean feels sick to his stomach at Floch’s words. Eren wouldn’t eat Marco. Eren had loved Marco. Surely he wasn’t so far gone that he’d eat the freckled man just to gain the power of the titan Marco supposedly held.

“We don’t know where the prisoner is, Floch. The MP or the Garrison must’ve moved him without telling us.” Connie cuts in worriedly.

“Our insiders would’ve told us that.” Floch answers as he turns to another soldier. “Find Eren, tell him what’s happened and that we’re moving these guys.” The soldier nods and walks out. Leaving the others to start cuffing Jean, Connie, Nicolo, Hange, and Falco before dragging them out of the building. Jean was so confused. If the military hadn’t moved Marco, then where did he go? Was it possible that the Yeagerists had already taken him and were just trying to confuse them? But what purpose would that serve? These thoughts continued flowing through Jean’s mind as they were out in carriages and carried off to where they’d most likely be locked up. But Jean couldn’t stop thinking. What the hell happened to Marco?


	4. Tumbling Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where did Marco go???

Hange, Jean, and Falco rode in one carriage while Connie and Falco were placed in another as they made their way to wherever Floch and his team were taking them. Falco stirred slightly and groaned as he sat up. Hange seemed like they wanted to reach out for the boy, but the cuffs wouldn’t allow it.

  
  


“What’s wrong, Falco?” They asked as they leaned towards the boy.

  
  


“I don’t know. It kinda felt like electricity just shot through my body.” the kid gets out as he rubs his eyes. Hange gasps and leans back. Earning the attention of both Jean and Falco.

  
  


“He actually did it.” They whisper to themselves.

  
  


“What are you talking about, Hange?” Jean asks as he glances between Falco and his Commander.

  
  


“Zeke!” Hange responds, “He must’ve used his scream on Levi and his soldiers and Falco felt it from all the way over here.” Hange looks like they’re about to cry. “Levi…” Suddenly the carriage comes to a stop and they’re being pulled out by a couple of Yeager soldiers. Floch comes forward and takes a hold of Hange.

  
  


“What are you doing?” Jean demands as Hange is taken off in a different direction than him and Falco. He doesn’t get an answer as he’s pulled, kicked, and shoved down into the basement where he sees Connie, Nicolo, Armin, and Mikasa being held in a cell. He and Flaco are thrown in alongside them and the Yeagerists lock them inside and walk away.

  
  


“Where’s the Commander?” Armin asks as he and Connie help the two up.

  
  


“I don’t know.” Jean supplies before sighing. “Floch and some of his guys took Hange to a different place than where we are. He wouldn’t tell me anything. What about you guys?” He directs his question towards Armin and Mikasa, “Are you ok? What happened with you?” Mikasa turns away and Armin sighs dejectedly.

  
  


“Eren came to see us. He didn’t give us anything helpful. He was just going on and on about freedom and how he and Zeke were doing good together. I don’t know where they took Gabi.” They all mull over Armin’s words. From what Armin has supplied, it seems like Eren’s too far gone to be reasoned with at this point, which sparks an even deeper fear in Jean.

“He wants to eat Marco.” Jean states without looking at anyone. “Floch came in demanding we reveal the War Hammer’s location, but when we told him we didn’t know, he made sure that Eren got the same message. He told us that Eren needed the War Hammer, but didn’t say why.” Jean bit his lip as he continued, “But why else would they need him? Everyone thinks Marco is a shifter, so it makes sense that Eren would need him in order to eat him and gain the powers of the War Hammer.” Everyone is silent for a moment before Armin speaks up again.

  
  


“Eren wouldn’t eat Marco. And nobody knows for sure whether he really is the War Hammer Titan or not.”

  
  


“Eren’s too far gone to care about eating his friend anymore, Armin.” Jean directs a bitter stare towards the blonde, “And we may not be sure if Marco is a titan, but if he isn’t then Eren will have just eaten him with no consequences. If he is a titan, then Eren gains the power of the War Hammer. They have nothing to lose!” Mikasa finally speaks up. Her words infuriating Jean.

  
  


“Eren’s still in there somewhere. He wouldn’t do something like that.”

  
  


“Are you serious, Mikasa?!” Jean seethes, “After everything he’s done? He killed civilians in Marley! He beat the crap out of Armin right in front of you! He laughed when Sasha died! And now he’s willing to eat Marco just to gain more power! You need to let go of whatever hold he has on you and face reality!”

  
  


“ _ I _ need to let go?!” Mikasa turns and yells in Jean’s face. “You’re the one holding on to this belief that Marco is some innocent party! If Eren wants to eat the enemy to take the power away from them, then why is that so bad?!”

“Marco isn’t the enemy!” Jean can see Armin and Connie glancing between them nervously.

  
  


“He was found in Marley, Jean. He killed three Scouts and he refused to speak once he was locked up.  _ Face reality _ . Marco is just another monster like Bert, Reiner, and Annie-” The ravenette is cut off as Jean screams and slams Mikasa up against the metal bars.

  
  


“You take that back you bitch!” Jean cries as he struggles against Connie and Armin as they try to pull him off. When they do finally manage to separate them, Connie steps between everyone.

  
  


“Stop it guys!” He demands sternly, “It won’t do us any good to sit here and fight each other. We have no idea what’s going on above us, but it can’t be good. So we need to stay calm and try and figure out how to get out of here.” As Connie finishes, they all hear footsteps coming their way, and turn to see Yelena and Onyankopon.

  
  


“It’s wonderful to see that you’re all settling in.” Yelena smiles as she takes a seat before everyone.

  
  


“You must be real satisfied with yourself,” Connie grits his teeth as he comes closer to the Marleyan volunteers, “You’ve poisoned multiple members of our army and have taken over Paradis all for some psychotic brothers.” Yelena’s smile disappears as she takes in Connie’s words.

  
  


“Everything is going according to plan, yes, but there's still something missing.” she turns her attention towards Jean, “You need to give us the War Hammer.” Jean groans as he steps towards the bars separating them.

  
  


“How am I supposed to know where he is? At what point would I have been able to sneak a whole person out of the basement to another location?”

  
  


“Eren told us how close to the two of you were.” Yelena pins Jean with her stare. “What was his name again? Marco.”

  
  


“Shut up.” Jean whispers as he reaches for his locket.

  
  


“It would make sense that given your history, you had helped him escape. The military doesn’t know where he is and neither do we. So that just leaves you, Jean.”

  
  


“Shut up.” Jean clutches tighter at his locket.

  
  


“Tell us where you hid your precious Marco.” Yelena’s smile returns as she sees the state that she is putting Jean in.

  
  


“I said shut up!” Jean screams as he reaches for the woman through the bars. She just continues sitting there with a satisfied smirk as Jean keeps trying to reach for her.

  
  


“I think he’s had enough, Yelena.” Onyankopon tells her from where he’s standing.

  
  


“Perhaps.” the woman answers back lazily. She turns over to Armin as she sees him staring her down. “You wanna know what Zeke and Eren have planned.” she states as she returns Armin’s gaze.

  
  


“Is it really worth all this?” Armin asks, “All the death and destruction, is Zeke’s okan really worth fighting for?” Yelena seems to take offense of this, but she quickly schools her expression back to one of neutrality.

  
  


“Zeke Yeager plans to use the Founding Titan and a titan of royal blood in order to garner the power to render all Eldians infertile. With this plan, the existence of titans will come to an end as Eldians begin to die off.” The whole room stares at her in shock.

  
  


“That’s the genius plan?!” Jean questions angrily, “You want to take away our ability to reproduce? Then what will come of Paradis? Who will protect the country? Or are we just supposed to wait until there’s none of us left?”

  
  


“The rumbling will still act as a deterrent,” Yelena supplies calmly, “Paradis will be safe from invaders and when Eldians are wiped out, titans will no longer walk the earth.” Yelena finishes before another soldier appears and frantically calls for herself and Onyankopon.

  
  


“Quickly Yelena! There are intruders that have infiltrated the castle. They’re with Eren!”

  
  


“Send reinforcements. Don’t let any harm come to Eren!” Yelen orders as they file out of the prison.

  
  


“Intruders? Who could be intruding?” Armin questions.

  
  


“It could be the Eldian Warriors or the Marleyan Army.” Falco answers. He had been so quiet the whole time that they’d nearly forgotten he was there. “My brother was a warrior trained to take Zeke’s titan. Reiner is Gabi’s cousin. I think it’s possible that they’ve come looking for us.”

  
  


“Dammit.” Jean curses as he paces the cell.

  
  


“It can’t really be the warriors, right?” Connie supplies frantically, “I mean, we’d hear a lot more commotion if there were titans-” at that, they feel and hear the building rumbling above them.

  
  


“You were saying?” Nicolo asks unhelpfully.

  
  


“If it really is the Eldian Warriors, then it must have been them that helped Marco escape.” Armin chimes in.

  
  


“Which means he could still be here somewhere.” Jean thinks out loud as his pacing comes to stop. Everyone looks in his direction, but Mikasa is the one who speaks.

  
  


“He’s here helping them.” is all she says.

  
  


“Mikasa,” Jean starts, “maybe I really am just like you and I can’t let go of someone I love, but there’s something telling me that Marco isn’t the bad guy here,” he sighs and groans as he begins pacing again. “There has to be a reason he’s doing all this.” He comes to a stop in front of Nicolo and Falco. “You guys must be able to tell us something about him. If he was a warrior, then you would’ve known about him.” Falco and Nicolo share a look before Nicolo speaks up.

  
  


“The War Hammer is a different situation. It’s different from the Jaw, Cart, Beast, Female, Colossal, and Armored Titans because warriors can’t inherit it. The War Hammer belongs to the Tybur family, but they never share who inherits the titan.” Jean seems to lose all hope until Falco chimes in.

  
  


“But this man, Marco, he wasn't a member of the Tybur family. The Tyburs never shared who inherited the titan, but they didn’t hide members of their family. And this man definitely was never seen with them.”

  
  


“So what are you saying?” Jean asks the two, “Marco stole the titan from the Tybur family?”

  
  


“I’m not sure,” Nicolo looks pained as he answers, “but he wasn’t an Eldian Warrior and he wasn’t a Tybur.” They hear more rumbling going on. They can hear explosions and make out titans roaring. So they are here. They hear running and keys jangling before they see Onyankopon again. 

  
  


“Has our knight come to rescue us?” Connie asks sarcastically as the Marleyan volunteer unlocks their cell before speaking.

  
  


“I know you have no reason to trust me,” Onyankopon looks at them all, “but I don’t condone what Yelena did. The wine, Zeke’s plan, locking you all up...this was never what I wanted. I don’t want to be responsible for the destruction of the Eldian race, but Eren is out there fighting three titans and an army all on his own! He needs you and he needs us, so please help!” the dark man pleads with the Eldians before him.

  
  


“Let’s go.” is all Armin says before sprinting out of the basement. The others following shortly after.

  
  


“What’s the plan, Armin?” Mikasa asks as she and the others follow the blonde.

  
  


“We gear up and we fight the Marleyans. If that means defending Eren, then so be it.” He supplies as they make it to the equipment room. They begin suiting up before Armin turns to Nicolo, Onyankopon, and Falco. “Onyankopon, take them somewhere safe.” The Marleyan nods and begins ushering the other two out.

  
  


“Be careful out there!” Nicolo calls out before turning and locking eyes with Connie, “All of you. Come back to us.” Connie stares where Nicolo once stood before he begins putting on his ODM gear. He sees Jean’s hands shaking, so he steps over and buckles what his friend can’t. Jean gives him a grateful look before they all head out to battle. The scene before them is unbelievable. They see Eren engaged in a brawl with the Jaw Titan while the Armored Titan lay steaming on the ground. It’s face and multiple parts of its body caved in from Eren’s hits. Above them they see airships and soldiers emerging from them. Firing shots at the Eldian soldiers.

  
  


“Come on!” Armin yells as he charges toward the scene. They follow as he swings up onto various buildings. They take down any Marleyans that they can spot, all while keeping their eyes on the titans fighting Eren. They spot the Cart Titan on top of the wall as it aims shots down towards Eren. He’s able to dodge some, but he takes one to the head. The Armored and Jaw Titan see this, but are unable to charge at Eren since their bodies are too busy healing. Jean is too focused on looking at the display that he doesn’t see the Marleyan soldier behind him aim at his head. Mikasa does however and comes up behind him to slit his throat.

  
  


“Stay focused!” she yells as they see a shadow cast over. They look up to see the Beast Titan standing up at the top of the wall.

  
  


“What the hell?!” Connie screams as he shoots at two Marleyans who’d spotted them. The Beast Titan hurls stones at the Marleyans and they can see the Yeagerists coming down and joining the fight, killing any Marleyans they see in their paths. 

  
  


“He’s not our problem right now!” Armin yells as he turns to his friends, “We need to focus on pushing Marley back! We can deal with the Yeagerists later!” Eren and the other titans have gained their strength back and are fighting again. Eren’s able to knock out the other two before he sprints towards the Beast Titan.

  
  


“What’s he doing?!” Jean wonders out loud, still fighting and watching.

  
  


“He’s going for Zeke! The Founder and a Titan of royal blood!” Armin makes the connection, “They commencing their plan right here!” As Armin says this, they see the Cart Titan clinging to the wall before a shot is fired at Zeke. In the aftermath, the titan falls to the ground. They hear Eren’s shriek and look over to see the Armored and Jaw Titan have gotten a hold of him again.

  
  


“Eren!” Mikasa screams and heads straight for him. The rest follow, but spot movement from Zeke’s titan.

  
  


“Everyone be on the lookout! He’s gonna use his scream to turn everyone into titans!” Armin yells just as they hear the Beast Titan’s roar. Everything is silent for a moment before they see sparks around them and hears pops as the soldiers around them are transformed into pure titans. The Beast Titan roars again and the titans begin attacking the Marleyan soldiers. Three come towards the armored titan and two carry the Jaw Titan away, leaving Eren free.

  
  


“What are we supposed to do now?!” Connie yells towards Armin, “If Eren reaches Zeke then it’s over for all of us! The Eldian race will be done for!”

  
  


“We can’t stop Eren!” Mikasa yells back as she turns to Connie, “He’s too powerful and we won’t get to him in time!”

  
  


“Guys!” Armin yells over the two of them. They all look down to see that Eren and Zeke have detached themselves from their titans and Eren is running towards Zeke. 

  
  
  


“We’re too late.” Connie whispers. The Jaw and Armored Titan are too busy fighting pure titans to get to Eren. The Marleyans are being eaten. Even the Cart Titan is being held off by the Yeagerists and can’t get a clear shot. All they can do is look on as they watch their race slowly come to an end. Eren has nearly made it to Zeke when a BOOM cuts through the air and everyone sees Eren’s head blown off. They look over to see a figure holding a smoking rifle aimed in Eren’s direction. The figure stands tall from his hunched over position; in his blue button up shirt and fit brown pants. His black hair flowing in the wind. He turns slowly and locks his hazel eyes with Mikasa, Connie, Armin, and Jean.

  
  


“Marco.” Jean whispers before everything goes to hell.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really into this new fic I'm writing! Marco is by far my favorite character of the show and I've shipped Jean and him since the very beginning. I like the idea that Marco is a shifter and then he gets to come back. Please leave comments and kudos! I'd love to know what everyone is thinking


End file.
